ANF understands that residents, families and staff at the 30-bed Palmerston Court Aged Care Hostel have been told the facility will close and alternative accommodation must be found for 29 residents.
Acting ANF (Victorian Branch) Assistant Secretary Paul Gilbert said: "ANF is in the process of collecting information about wages, rostered hours, annual leave entitlements and superannuation from members employed at the facility.
"These nurses and personal care workers are dealing with the reality of losing their jobs while working hard to provide clinical and personal care for the residents until new accommodation is found for them," he said.
"Unfortunately this distressing situation is not new to ANF or its members working in aged care and over the last few years we have represented hundreds of Victorian nurses and personal care workers to secure millions of dollars in unpaid wages, entitlements and superannuation," Mr Gilbert said.
"It doesn't make sense that the Federal Government is planning to give $44 billion to aged care providers over the next four years with no strings attached," Mr Gilbert said.
ANF (Victorian Branch) is participating in the national Australian Nursing Federation community campaign because we care which is calling on the Federal Government to introduce urgent changes to the aged care system including:
- minimum nurse to resident ratios so that nursing and care staff can provide quality care for every resident. ANF is recommending one nurse, working with a team of carers, for every seven residents on the morning shift, one nurse for every eight residents on the afternoon shift and one nurse for every 15 residents during the night shift
- fair pay for aged care nurses and personal care workers who are paid up to $300 per week less than their colleagues in other sectors
- the recognition of the professional skills of personal care workers through a national licensing system
- a guarantee that taxpayer funding is used for nursing and personal care for each resident.
Australian Nursing Federation (Victorian Branch) Acting Assistant Secretary Paul Gilbert
